2017 152707 writing workshop 4

WRITING WORKSHOP 4

152707 Leading and Organizing Change

These slides can be viewed at: tinyurl.com/152707WW4

You will learn how to:

• Summarise and quote from management literature

• Organise your notes under topics which are relevant to your leadership experiences

• Use these notes to write scholarly critique of leadership experiences

Learning outcomes

ASSIGNMENT QUESTION

REVIEW OF STRUCTURE

Suggested Journal Structure

Introduction (one or two paragraphs)

Vignette 1 (four paragraphs)



Conclusion (two or three paragraphs)

Suggested structure for each vignette

Story of a leadership experience (1 paragraph)workshops 1 & 2

Analysis of the leadership experience (1 paragraph)workshop 3

Scholarly critique of the leadership experience (2 paragraphs)workshop 4 (this one!)

SCHOLARLY CRITIQUE 1:

Research & Notes

Research & Note-Taking Suggestions

Identify leadership topics which are relevant to your three stories. (See workshop 3)

Find relevant concepts, theories and research findings in Management books and journal articles.

Make notes in your own words and copy short quotes from these high quality sources.

Organise these notes and quotes under relevant topic headings (sometimes they’ll fit under more than one heading).

TASK 1:

NOTES & QUOTES

You’ll see some short texts about leadership.Read each example and discuss with your partner, is it:

Original Management text

or

Martin’s summary

Management or Martin?

One approach to change leadership identifies four key

principles: maximise stakeholder participation; strengthen

relationships; build task-focused teams; ensure that decision-

making is inclusive.

1. widen the circle of involvement

2. connect people to each other

3. create communities for action

4. embrace democracy

(Axelrod, 2000, pp. 33-35)


Benefits of collaboration include: a unified face to customers,

faster internal decision-making, reduced costs through shared

resources, and the development of more innovative products.

Through effective collaboration, teams can make decisions

more efficiently, use organisational resources more cost-

effectively, develop products more creatively and speak to

clients with one voice (Weiss & Hughes, 2013).


Leaders and followers are both following the invisible

leader – the common purpose.

A common misconception about the leadership is that it

consists in giving clear and persuasive orders to followers.

This concept of leadership is narrow in scope and

inconsistent with a democratic ethos. Within democratic

organisations, in which individuals are empowered, rather

than subjugated, effective leadership aims, instead, to ensure

that everyone – including leaders themselves – understands

and contribute to shared goals. In this way, as Parker Follett

explained, “Leaders and followers are both following the

invisible leader – the common purpose” (1987, p. 55).

Suggestions for effective use of source material

Avoid brainless cut and pasting from sources – it’s a waste of time.

Identify relevant concepts, theories, research findings. Remember them in

your head. Look away from (or close) the source. Make notes as much as

possible in your own words. Look back at the source to double-check if your

summary notes are accurate.

Only copy the text if the original language is special (e.g. an authoritative

definition of an important concept). Keep quotations short and include the

page number it came from.

TASK 2: ORGANISING

RESEARCH NOTES

The two leadership topics I chose to discuss in relation to my first story were:

• The process of leading change

• Leadership power

Discuss with your partner the following notes and quotes from my research: Which topic do they fit under?

Which topic: process or power?

One approach to change leadership identifies four key principles: maximise

stakeholder participation; strengthen relationships; build task-focused teams; ensure

that decision-making is inclusive (Axelrod, 2000).

processMistakes in change planning are often blamed on technical errors or weaknesses in

the team, instead of on a mistaken attempt by a leader to impose values or objectives.

This kind of mistake is often an indication of a narcissistic leadership style in which

followers are seen as extension of the leader instead of as individuals with their own

needs and potential (Higgs, 2013).

powerTop-down, individual change leadership depends on the willingness of followers to

embrace the process of change. This is not always the case. Therefore, especially in

less hierarchical organisations, bottom-up, emergent change may be more appropriate

(Bamford & Forrester, 2003).

power


Followers who feel respected by their leader(s) are more likely to be open to

their influence and also to feel greater job-satisfaction (Quaquebeke &

Eckloff, 2010).

powerLeadership in which power is distributed among team members, rather than

concentrated in one individual, is characterised by collaboration, trust and

empowerment (Cunliffe & Eriksen, 2011)

powerThe need for careful planning is shown by the fact that up to 80% of change

initiatives fail (Appelbaum, Habashy, Malo, & Shafiq, 2012).

process


Leaders cannot work in moral isolation: “if it’s unethical or immoral, it is not

leadership” (Burns, 2003, p. 48).

powerFive kinds of power have been identified: reward, coercive, legitimate,

expert, referent (Raven, 2008) – the last two have to be earned – through

showing expertise and logical persuasion or through showing example that

makes others want to emulate you.

powerAs Kotter (1990, p. 26) noted, “Leadership produces change. That is its

primary function”. It is leadership that drives forward each stage of the

change process, from defining a future vision, aligning followers with that

vision and providing them with the necessary inspiration for the change to be

achieved (Kotter, 1996).

process & power

SCHOLARLY CRITIQUE 2:

WRITING

Scholarly critique writing suggestions

Write two paragraphs focusing on what you learnt about leadership from the experience in your story.

Use leadership theories as a lens to look through as you examine your earlier experience from the perspective of someone who has learnt about leadership.

Explain how certain concepts or findings made you review your earlier understanding of what happened.

TASK 3: CITATIONS

Read the first paragraph of scholarly critique, based on my leadership story and discuss with your partner:

How many citations do you think are needed?

Where is the best place to put them?

My assumption that I needed to show leadership in order to achieve change is

one which has been widely shared in Management. In fact, the ability to drive

forward necessary organisational change has been seen as the primary function

of leadership, as the leader first defines a future vision, aligns followers with that

vision and provides them with the necessary inspiration for the change to be

achieved. According to this view, my main error was an operational one: a failure

to create, a ‘guiding coalition’ in which my main aim at the early stage would be to

widen the circle of colleagues committed to the change. This coalition-building

strategy might also have addressed the powerlessness which I experienced in

proposing my change. My approach had relied on the effectiveness of my claim

to expert or referent power, which I sought to exercise through a display of logic,

expertise and example. The legitimacy of my claim might have been reinforced

by showing respect for the opinions of my team at an early stage, since research

has shown that followers who feel respected by their leader(s) are more likely to

be open to their influence.

My assumption that I needed to show leadership in order to achieve change is one

which has been widely shared in Management. In fact, the ability to drive forward

necessary organisational change has been seen as the primary function of leadership,

as the leader first defines a future vision, aligns followers with that vision and provides

them with the necessary inspiration for the change to be achieved (citation).

According to this view, my main error was an operational one: a failure to create, a

‘guiding coalition’ (citation) in which my main aim at the early stage would be to widen

the circle of colleagues committed to the change. This coalition-building strategy might

also have addressed the powerlessness which I experienced in proposing my change.

My approach had relied on the effectiveness of my claim to expert or referent power

(citation), which I sought to exercise through a display of logic, expertise and

example. The legitimacy of my claim might have been reinforced by showing respect

for the opinions of my team at an early stage, since research has shown that followers

who feel respected by their leader(s) are more likely to be open to their influence

(citation).

Place citations immediately after the information they support

TASK 4: Components of

scholarly critique

Look at the paragraph again.

Discuss with your partner the difference between the yellow and green phrases.

Why are the ‘yellow’ and ‘green’ phrases mixed up in this way?

My assumption that I needed to show leadership in order to achieve change is one which

has been widely shared in Management. In fact, the ability to drive forward necessary

organisational change has been seen as the primary function of leadership, as the leader

first defines a future vision, aligns followers with that vision and provides them with the

necessary inspiration for the change to be achieved (citation). According to this view, my

main error was an operational one: a failure to create a “guiding coalition” (citation) in

which my main aim at the early stage would be to widen the circle of colleagues committed

to the change. This coalition-building strategy might also have addressed the

powerlessness which I experienced in proposing my change. My approach had relied on

the effectiveness of my claim to expert or referent power (citation), which I sought to

exercise through a display of logic, expertise and example. The legitimacy of my claim

might have been reinforced by showing respect for the opinions of my team at an early

stage, since research has shown that followers who feel respected by their leader(s) are

more likely to be open to their influence (citation).

Scholarly critique of experience ‘flip-flops’ between theory and experience.

TASK 5: Tone in a

scholarly critique

Look at the paragraph one more time.

What is their purpose of the phrases highlighted in red?

My assumption that I needed to show leadership in order to achieve change is one

which has been widely shared in Management. In fact, the ability to drive forward

necessary organisational change has been seen as the primary function of

leadership, as the leader first defines a future vision, aligns followers with that vision

and provides them with the necessary inspiration for the change to be achieved

(citation). According to this view, my main error was an operational one: a failure to

create, a ‘guiding coalition’ (citation) in which my main aim at the early stage would

be to widen the circle of colleagues committed to the change. This coalition-building

strategy might also have addressed the powerlessness which I experienced in

proposing my change. My approach had relied on the effectiveness of my claim to

expert or referent power (citation), which I sought to exercise through a display of

logic, expertise and example.

Hedging shows that you understand the difference between

theory and fact; a lot of hedging signals to the reader that you

don’t necessarily agree with the theory you are using and

prepares the reader for a counter-argument.

TASK 6: Providing

evidence of learning

through critical reflection

Look at the second paragraph of scholarly critique.

What lessons have I learnt by reflecting on this experience?

How is the tone different from the first paragraph?

However, I have become increasingly uncomfortable with this ‘operational’ model

of change leadership. If ‘creating a coalition’ is reduced to a tactical stage in a

change process which has, in reality, been determined from above, it seems to me

both morally and practically impoverished; and as XXX (citation) points out, “if it’s

unethical or immoral, it is not leadership”. My failure, it now seems to me, was

more of an ethical than an operational one: it was not a lack of leadership, but a

lack of followership. Unknowingly, I had what XXX (citation) describes as a

narcissistic concept of leadership, in which the rest of my team were seen,

essentially, as extensions of myself, functioning only to implement a change I had

set in motion. If I had had a greater sense of followership, I might have avoided

making decisions for the team and, instead, focused on empowering them to

decide what the problem was and how to address it, limiting my role to helping my

colleagues work in unison towards common, agreed goals (citation) . My problem

was not a lack of power, but the inability to see the power which was already there;

distributed among my team members, rather than concentrated in myself. A more

appropriate leadership style might have focused on nurturing the collaboration,

trust and empowerment, which is characteristic of this context (citation) so that

sustainable, bottom-up, emergent change may have been allowed to emerge

(citation). My attempt to impose my change may actually have inhibited the power

of my team to develop their own change.

However, I have become increasingly uncomfortable with this ‘operational’

model of change leadership. If ‘creating a coalition’ is reduced to a tactical

stage in a change process which has, in reality, been determined from above, it

seems to me both morally and practically impoverished; and as XXX (citation)

points out, “if it’s unethical or immoral, it is not leadership”. My failure, it now

seems to me, was more of an ethical than an operational one: it was not a lack

of leadership, but a lack of followership. Unknowingly, I had what XXX

(citation) describes as a narcissistic concept of leadership, in which the rest of

my team were seen, essentially, as extensions of myself, functioning only to

implement a change I had set in motion. If I had had a greater sense of

followership, I might have avoided making decisions for the team and, instead,

focused on empowering them to decide what the problem was and how to

address it, limiting my role to helping my colleagues work in unison towards

common, agreed goals (citation). My problem was not a lack of power, but the

inability to see the power which was already there; distributed among my team

members, rather than concentrated in myself. A more appropriate leadership

style might have focused on nurturing the collaboration, trust and

empowerment, which is characteristic of this context (citation) so that


(citation). My attempt to impose my change may actually have inhibited the

power of my team to develop their own change.

LESSON

LESSON

LESSON

LESSON

However, I have become increasingly uncomfortable with this ‘operational’

model of change leadership. If ‘creating a coalition’ is reduced to a tactical

stage in a change process which has, in reality, been determined from above,

it seems to me both morally and practically impoverished; and as XXX

(citation) points out, “if it’s unethical or immoral, it is not leadership”. My

failure, it now seems to me, was more of an ethical than an operational one: it

was not a lack of leadership, but a lack of followership. Unknowingly, I had

what XXX (citation) describes as a narcissistic concept of leadership, in which

the rest of my team were seen, essentially, as extensions of myself, functioning

only to implement a change I had set in motion. If I had had a greater sense of

followership, I might have avoided making decisions for the team and, instead,

focused on empowering them to decide what the problem was and how to

address it, limiting my role to helping my colleagues work in unison towards

common, agreed goals (citation). My problem was not a lack of power, but

the inability to see the power which was already there; distributed among my

team members, rather than concentrated in myself. A more appropriate

leadership style might have focused on nurturing the collaboration, trust and

empowerment, which is characteristic of this context (citation) so that


(citation). My attempt to impose my change may actually have inhibited the

power of my team to develop their own change.

UNEQUIVOCAL

LANGUAGE

DIRECT STATEMENTS

(LESS ‘MIGHT HAVE’)

PERSONAL VOICE

(instead of

‘According

to this view …’ etc)

TASK 7: Providing

evidence of learning

Look at the second paragraph again.

What is the main purpose of the highlighted phrases?

However, I have become increasingly uncomfortable with this

‘operational’ model of change leadership. If ‘creating a coalition’ is

reduced to a tactical stage in a change process which has, in reality,

been determined from above, it seems to me both morally and

practically impoverished; and as XXX (citation) points out, “if it’s

unethical or immoral, it is not leadership”. My failure, it now seems to

me, was more of an ethical than an operational one: it was not a lack

of leadership, but a lack of followership. Unknowingly, I had what

XXX (citation) describes as a narcissistic concept of leadership, in

which the rest of my team were seen, essentially, as extensions of

myself, functioning only to implement a change I had set in motion. If

I had had a greater sense of followership, I might have avoided

making decisions for the team and, instead, focused on empowering

them to decide what the problem was and how to address it, limiting

my role to helping my colleagues work in unison towards common,

agreed goals (citation). My problem was not a lack of power, but the

inability to see the power which was already there; distributed among

my team members, rather than concentrated in myself…..

THESE PHRASES

HIGHLIGHT THE

CONTRAST BETWEEN

PAST AND PRESENT

UNDERSTANDING.

THEY SHOW HOW

KNOWLEDGE OF

THEORY AND

REFLECTION HAS LED

TO LEARNING

SUMMARY

• understanding of Management theories

• ability to view experience through the lens of Management theories

• learning about yourself through reflection

• learning about the value and / or limitations of Management theories

Effective scholarly critique of leadership experience provides

evidence of your:

© 2017

This PowerPoint Presentation and the accompanying handouts are copyrighted by Centre for Teaching and Learning, Massey

University and may not be used, except for personal study, without written permission from the copyright owner. Please

note that examples are provided for illustration of writing principles only and no reliance should be placed on any of the

ideas referred to in the texts.

Martin McMorrow, Centre for Teaching and Learning

09 212 7117 [email protected]

These slides can be viewed at: tinyurl.com/152707WW4

Education

2017 152707 writing workshop 4